Pillow



United States Patent O York Filed Dec. 29, 1960, Ser. No. 79,373

. 4 Claims. (ci. 5 337) My invention relates to pillows or sofa cushionsor the like. An object of. my invention is to provide a pillow or thelike having a number of advantageous properties as compared with itemsof similar character previously known. Thus, the filler of pillows orcushions embodying my invention will have little or no tendency to pack,or settle, or become lumpy, marking a great improvement over pillowsstuffed with feathers, down or other fillings heretofore employed; atthe same time, pillows embodying my invention will be soft and resilientto a marked degree.

As a further object, I contemplate providing a pillow which will haveresilient resistance to flexing so that, when bent or flexed out of itsnormal plane, it will have a tendency to spring back when the distortingpressure is removed.

Pillows embodying my invention will be formed of material having anegligible tendency to deteriorate chemically or physically and thuswill retain their desirable characteristics for a long time.

More particularly, my invention contemplates a pillow wherein the majorstuiiing comprises a filamentary body of spun synthetic fibre. Thepreferred material is a polyester fibre such as those known on themarket under the trademarks Dacron, nylon, etc.

In the preferred embodiment of my invention there is buried in theaforesaid filamentary stuiing a body of substantial thickness and lyingin the major plane of the pillow and composed of a resinous foam of highresilience, the preferred material for this purpose being polyurethane.

A further feature contemplated by my invention is a pillow casing formedof textile fabric and having a valve-like opening therein forventilation of the contents of the pillow, so as to obviate any tendencyfor the pillow to take up unpleasant odors.

Various other objects and advantages will doubtless suggest themselvesto those skilled in the art as the description proceeds.

Referring now to the drawings forming a part of this specification andillustrating a preferred embodiment of my invention,

FIG. l is a perspective view of a pillow embodying my invention,

FIG. 2 is a sectional View taken substantially along the line to 2 2 ofFIG. 1,

FIG. 3 is a fragmentary sectional view on an enlarged scale of thecasing, taken substantially along the line 3-3 of FIG. l,

FIG. 4 is a sectional view taken substantially along the line 4-4 ofFIG. l, and

FIG. 5 is a fragmentary section on an enlarged scale of the casing,taken substantially along the line S-S of FIG. l.

The drawings show a pillow 10, which might be a bed pillow or a sofacushion, etc., having a filling 12 formed of a random packed body offilamentary fibrous material, preferably of synthetic textile iibre suchas a so-called polyester fiber and having the desired properties. Suchmaterial is highly resistant to decomposition, being not only stablechemically for long periods of time but also resistant to friction ofone strand of fiber against an adjacent strand, such as might be causedby frequently pressing a body against the outside of the pillow and3,ll9,l82 Patented Nov. 5, 1963 ICC releasing said pressure.Furthermore, material of this character offers a high resistanceyagainst absorption of odor and moisture.

Embedded within the body l2 is a body 15 of a synthetic resinous foammaterial, preferably polyurethane, which is highly resilient. It will benoted that this body is of substantial thickness but minor as comparedto its length and breadth, and lies in the major plane of the pillow,more or less centrally thereof, and also (as seen in FIG. 4) has itsedges disposed relatively close to the extremities of the body 12 ofiilamentary material.

The filling 12, with its enclosed body 15, is disposed within a cover 26formed of woven textile fabric or the like, preferably of syntheticfibre such as Daeron, etc. This cover 20 comprises a web portion 25which extends around the perimeter of the pillow and may be ofsubstantial width.

Formed in the web portion 22 is one or more valve elements V- in theinstant case, I provide one such valve on each side of the pillow, asseen b'est in FIG. 4. These valve elements each comprise a pair of flaps28, 29, overlying each other so as to provide a substantiallyunobstructed passage P therebetween. The outer Hap 28, for purposes ofstrength and better finish, is preferably forrned as a double layer offabric. All three layers of fabric forming valve V are preferablystitched together along their marginal edges as indicated by thenumerals 3h, 3f) in FIG. 3, these stitches being continuous with thestitching which secures the webbed portion 25 to the top and bottomlayers of the cover 20, as seen best in FIG. l.

lt will be seen that I have provided an improved pillow constructionwhich is simple and inexpensive to produce and which will have manyhighly desirable features. Aside from the natural resilience of thematerial which I have selected for the filler 12, the insert 15 willserve as a stabilizer for the filling, preventing the packing orshifting thereof and also, because of its high resilience and tendencyto resume its normal planar condition, it will serve to restore theentire pillow to its proper position after distortion thereof, once thedistorting force is removed. Thus, the pillow will always have a neatand attractive appearance without the necessity for shaking, patting orthe like, as required with other types of filler.

The operation of the valves V will be readily apparent. It will be seenthat they serve as two-way passages, permitting escape of air fromwithin the pillow when pressure is applied to the outside of the pillowand permitting entry of fresh air from the outside into the interior ofthe pillow when such force is removed.

Various changes coming within the spirit of my invention may'suggestthemselves to those skilled in the art; hence, I do not wish to belimited to the specific embodiments shown and described or usesmentioned, but intend the same to be merely exemplary, the scope of myinvention being limited only by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A pillow having a cover portion and a filler, said filler comprisinga body of filamentary synthetic fiber and a slab of resilient syntheticresin foam, said slab being disposed generally centrally in the majorplane of said body, said slab being of substantial but minor thicknesscompared to its length and breadth.

2. A pillow as in claim 1, wherein the filler is formed of a polyesterfiber, resistant to packing and lumping, and the slab is a polyurethanefoam.

3. A pillow as in claim l, wherein the filler is formed of a polyesterfilament resistant to packing and lumping, and the slab is asubstantially homogeneous body of polyurethane foam.

4. A pillow as in claim 1, wherein the filler is formed of a polyesterfilament, resistant to packing and lumping, and the slab is asubstantially homogeneous polyurethane foam, and cover comprisingopposed, generally similar face portions, a band extending around theperiphery of the pillow and joining said face portions, and a valvedisposed in said band, said valve comprising overlapping, substantiallyimperforate ilaps continuous with opposite portions of said band andhaving their free extremities spaced apart longitudinally 'of said bandandbeing stitched together only along their longitudinal edges, thusforming a substantially continuous air channel between said flaps ofsubstantially the Width of said band.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTSSchnadig Oct. 30, 1906 Leavitt Jan. 16, 1917 Bloomberg Feb. 14, 1939Sistig Mar. 11, 1941 Pisciotta Apr. 13, 1948 Y :Lenz Sept. 4, 1956Wagner Aug. 11, 1959 Ben Apr. 3, 1962

1. A PILLOW HAVING A COVER PORTION AND A FILLER, SAID FILLER COMPRISNG ABODY OF FILAMENTARY SYNTHETIC FIBER AND A SLAB OF RESILIENT SYNTHETICRESIN FOAM, SAID SLAB BEING DISPOSED GENERALLY CENTRALLY IN THE MAJORPLANE OF SAID BODY, SAID SLAB BEING OF SUBSTANTIAL BUT MINOR THICKNESSCOMPARED TO ITS LENGTH AND BREADTH.